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Christians and Muslims share many common beliefs. Both religions teach that the world was created ex nihilo (out of nothing) by God in six days. Both share belief in prophets, holy books, and the all-important Day of Judgment. These shared tenets of faith encourage theological convergence. (And it should be noted that not all people who confess to be Muslim or Christian believe everything their religion teaches.)
Despite the similarities, significant points of theological divergence emerge between Christianity and Islam. First, the question beckons whether humans are born sinners. The Bible says yes, while Islam answers no. The understanding of the human problem in Islam centers not on original sin, but upon human ignorance.
Perhaps even more important is the lightning-rod discussion about the identity of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that Jesus is the eternal Son of God, co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and Holy Spirit. Islam denies that Jesus has any role in the Divine Being, Allah. The Islamic scholar Smail Baliç states, “Islam rules out any incursion of the human into the sphere of the divine … Islam would dispel from the believer’s mind any thought of a human share in the divine uniqueness.”[1]
This brings us to the “Same God Question”—or SGQ: do Christians and Muslims worship the same deity? Advocates of theological convergence, such as Miroslav Volf, would answer in the affirmative. After all the great monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam have a central belief in one God. Perhaps they simply understand this one deity a bit differently, so they argue.
Yet, theological convergence tends to diminish the importance of the Lord Jesus Christ. A basic question underlies the SGQ: If Islam teaches explicitly that Jesus is not divine, and Christianity teaches explicitly that Jesus is divine, then how could both religions be pointing to the same deity?
If one asked Muslims the following question: “The Bible teaches that one God exists eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Is this the same God you worship?” To that question, almost all Muslims would answer in the negative.
One God or Two?
From a theological standpoint, it seems clear that the Bible and the Qur’an are not pointing to the same deities. Former Muslim Nabeel Qureshi ultimately came to this conclusion. He states his reasoning in his books No God But One and again in Answering Jihad. Qureshi states:
"At no point is the schism between Christian and Islamic theologies broader than on the person of Jesus. For Muslims, the doctrine of a divine Christ is anathema, and the Quran teaches that he who subscribes to it will make his home in the flames of hell (5:72). For the Christian, belief in the lordship of Christ is necessary for salvation (Rom. 10:9). What wider divergence could there be?"[2]
The evidence seems clear. The Bible and Qur’an are pointing to two different deities.
This creates a bit of an optical illusion, since both religions claim to be monotheistic in nature. Christians and Muslim are quick to affirm faith in one God. Now, the realization settles in that the deities described by the Qur’an and the Bible, by logical rules of mutual exclusivity regarding the identity of Jesus, cannot be the same being. They are not merely incomplete descriptions of the one true deity.
Does this mean there are two separate deities? Neither religion allows for the existence of two deities...
Applications for Ministry and Missions
The strong scriptural trajectory of theological divergence regarding Jesus has massive implications for Christian ministry among Muslims. If Muslims are not worshipping the true God—the Holy Trinity—then they certainly will not have salvation in Islam. They must be reached with the Gospel. So, the realization of theological divergence creates tremendous missional urgency.
How then does the Christian understand the deity described in the Qur’an, the monad known as Allah? Was he a figment of Muhammad’s imagination? An alter-ego of some kind? If Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14), then could not Satan disguise himself as a deity? Could Allah actually be some type of idol or pagan deity? Should Christians discuss these things with Muslims? Or would these discussions only tend to make Muslims confused or angry? What does all of this mean for ministry among Muslims?
The following video describes this dilemma:
SUMMER INSTITUTE FOR ISLAMIC STUDIES
AT THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Dates: June 30 - July 7, 2025 (Held annually the first two weeks of July)
All courses available in-person or online!
Courses:
Engaging Islam: An Introduction
Church Planting in Muslim Contexts
Contemporary Issues: ministry to Muslims
Ministry to Muslims in Urban US Contexts
All course can be taken as a seminar or for credit at bachelor's, master's, or doctoral levels.
For credit or audit registration must be completed by May 5, 2025
Seminar-only registration closes on June 23, 2025.
To register or for more information:
417-865-2815, ext. 8857
Footnotes:
[1] Baliç, Smail. 1979. “The Image of Jesus in Contemporary Islamic Theology.” In We Believe in One God, edited by Abdoldjavad Falaturi, and AnneMarie Schimmel, 1-8. New York: Seabury Press, p. 1.
[2] Qureshi, Nabeel. 2016. No God but One: Allah or Jesus? A Former Muslim Investigates the Evidence for Islam and Christianity. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan. P. 213.
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